Stuart Ponsonby
Stuart Ponsonby '''is the founder and Chairman of the Popular Republican Movement. Having founded the party less than a decade ago in 570AER, the party has become a major player in Falleen politics. He also serves as the Chairman of Popular Media, a PRM-affiliated media firm that owns the Ponsonby Press and Movement Radio. Personal Details '''Private Career Ponsonby was a local television reporter in his Tapanuo hometown for over a decade before founding the Popular Republican Movement. Family Ponsonby has been married to Brianna Ponsonby (born Brianna Davies) since 549AER, with whom he has two daughters and one son. He has no siblings. Political Views Ponsonby is a political moderate. His views are the founding principles of his political party: individual liberties, trade protectionism, non-interventionism, and mixed economics. The Popular Republican Movement 'Foundation' Stuart Ponsonby, like many other founding PRM members, was increasingly frustrated that no political parties in Falleentium catered to the protectionist centre electorate. He was not interested in the various liberal parties the dominated Falleen politics nor the occasional socialist parties that were rebelling against them. In 569AER, he decided, after consulting with his family, to resign his reporting job and enter politics. At first, he considered running as a candidate of the Falleentium Moderate Party, but the FMP's dark nationalist streak ultimately repelled him from the party. Instead, he sought advice from his lawyer and family friend Jeff Sessions on how to set up his own political party. On June 14 of the following year, the Popular Republican Movement was officially formed. First Election Ponsonby wrote the first PRM programme - a short pamphlet of ideas titled "Sensible Politics - Real Solutions" - and had volunteers handing them out on street corners around Tapanuo. He hosted introductory rallies with Sessions, who by this point he had nominated for Parliamentary Leader. However, he never intended to be the public image of the party and preferred to allow Sessions and other party surrogates do the majority of the campaigning. Ponsonby was elated by the shocking news that his political party, not even one year old, would become part of His Imperial Majesty's Government after brokering a deal with Angela Merkel of the United Koalition of Imperialist Parties and Willy Brandt of the Socialist Party. To him, it was proof that compromising to form a moderate and effective government - an idea that PRM stressed - was not only the best course of action, but also possible, even across the left/right paradigm. When asked about PRM's first parliamentary term, Ponsonby describes it as "Falleen politics at their best." He went on to describe the how the unusual unity and political stability of the nation "made him the proudest man in the world, knowing he played a role in it." Second Election Ponsonby was dismayed that his close friend Jeff Sessions decided not to be PRM's leader going into the Falleen Federal Election of 575AER. The subsequent ascension of Sheldon Whitehouse to party leadership, albeit with Sessions' endorsement, marked a move to the left for PRM, meaning that the party was drifting somewhat from the beliefs of its founder. Ponsonby did not perform any interviews or speak at any rallies in this election, again allowing the parliamentary figures and the party Spokesman, Arlen Specter, to take on the campaigning role. When PRM again made it into government, this time with a significantly larger mandate, Ponsonby thanked and congratulated Whitehouse for his success. He was saddened, however, that the Empire returned to a typical left/right division after the election; UKIP and SP mutually rejected the idea of working together again on the eve of election day. Even though it was out of PRM's hands - the ascent of Amber Rudd to UKIP leadership ultimately caused the party's relationship with SP to break down - Ponsonby still felt some responsibility for the falling-out of the old coalition. He said in an interview, "when you have a government coalition made of three parties, and those three parties increase their collective share of the vote by 7.4% by the end of their term - 51.6% in 571 up to 59% in 575 - and all three of those parties end up the three most popular parties on the ballot in the following election, then clearly that government was doing something right. I think it was a disservice to the country that the coalition fell apart. I guess at some point partisanship just takes over. The Socialists and UKIP have enough options that they start thinking they don't need each other, no matter how effective government was when they worked together the last four years."Category:The Imperial Constitution Category:The Popular Republican Movement